In a message dated 11-Feb-02 12:37:11 Greenwich Standard Time, mtnlaurl@erols.com writes: > His estate was appraised 25 Aug 1865 in Loudoun so he must have died > shortly before that date. > Not necessarily. The courthouse was closed during the war, 1861-1865, from what I've read.

This is worth a comment. What was the source for the 1865 date of the estate appraisal? If that had been included with the message, we lurkers would have a better understanding of the document, which should tell us more about the date of death. Ms. Marty Hiatt, CGRS "Document what you find, listen to what you are told, and especially, love and respect your work." John Morris CGRS is a service mark of the Board for Certification of Genealogists, used under license after periodic evaluations by the Board. ----- Original Message ----- From: <RepAlciere@aol.com> To: <VALOUDOU-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, February 11, 2002 3:43 PM Subject: Re: [VALOUDOU-L] Death Record Look-Up > In a message dated 11-Feb-02 12:37:11 Greenwich Standard Time, > mtnlaurl@erols.com writes: > > > His estate was appraised 25 Aug 1865 in Loudoun so he must have died > > shortly before that date. > > > Not necessarily. The courthouse was closed during the war, 1861-1865, from > what I've read. >

Marty: Thanks for bringing this to my attention. The source of the date is "Loudoun Co. VA Will Book Abstracts" Circuit Court Books 2A-3C June 1841 - Dec 1879 by Patricia Duncan. It reads: PIERCE, Hector: A/I of 25 Aug 1865: Admr Alcinda PIERCE; CtOD 15 Aug 1865; household items . . . Aprs: P. A. L. Smith, James Alder, Thomas Dowdell. RtCt4 Sep 1865 [2P:494] Then, immediately below it PEARCE, Hector: Debts to 1 Oct 1867; . . . RtCt 12 Apr 1869. [2U:322] S/A with Admr beginning 15 Aug 1868; . . . RtCt 12 Apr 1869. [2U:344] It didn't hit me that the settlement of his estate may have been delayed and that he may have actually died much earlier. Thanks for your input. Sandy